


Ishi

by Thirrin



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, F/F, Psychological Horror, Religious Horror, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Things Left Unexplained, this was very stream of consciousness, very weird pls dont expect things to make sense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:00:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26643397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thirrin/pseuds/Thirrin
Summary: [Ame is strange and the rain changes people.] Sakura loses herself and finds herself and isn't given the chance to be concerned.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Konan
Comments: 3
Kudos: 24
Collections: r/NarutoFanfiction Gift Exchange





	Ishi

**Author's Note:**

  * For [exgorgitation](https://archiveofourown.org/users/exgorgitation/gifts).



Nothing could have prepared her for just how overwhelming the rain felt.

When Sakura had been told it always rains in Ame, she thought it was just bad weather and the local climate. Just an unlucky little area that saw more storms than sunshine.

But it's a torrential downpour. The rain never breaks and consistently seeps into her clothing and into her skin and all the way down to her bones, filling her with an unsettling cold and weighted feeling that leaves her so uncomfortable that she just wants to tear at her flesh with her nails until she bleeds. To make sure that she bleeds red and not rain.

She'd always thought fondly of the rain. It meant a chance for new growth from the earth and was a sign of the changing seasons. Back home, she would spend time listening to it fall against the roof and watch the shower through her window and bask in that clean smell in the air after a storm.

But this was not home. This was Ame, where the rain never stopped and there was something _evil_ in the water.

A month in the village had confirmed this. There _had_ to be something wrong with the unusual weather; normal rain didn't make her feel heavy and haunted, like she had an itch under her skin and eyes on her at all times. There was nothing pleasant about the sound of it battering the ceiling of the little apartment she'd rented and there was no fresh, after-the-storm scent when the storm _never stopped._

It was deafening and dulled her senses, weighing down her spirit as much as her body.

But the people of Ame seemed to have no such qualms.

They were unbothered by the rain as they roamed the streets of the village, surrounded by tall, angular buildings that blended in with the unending grey. The neon lights glowed bright and cast shadows over their faces, but none of Ame's citizens seemed _unhappy._

They lived as if the downpour was just as pleasant as the sunlight. Children played in the park, adults chatted on the street, vendors sold their goods, and the rain remained welcomed.

Ame had never been that well-known. As a civilian village with no military or shinobi system in place, it usually went largely ignored by the other Hidden Villages. Its location was uninteresting in any regards, both commercial and strategic, the weather was abhorrent and depressing, any attempts at setting up a permanent government from outside forces ended in failure, and any foreign village's attempt at occupying it never lasted.

It was… odd. But Ame never remained long in the minds of outsiders.

Architecturally, it was interesting and a testament of the creativity of civilians when they live under their own rule. But everything else about Ame? Unassuming and uninteresting.

So, when Sakura had noticed a pattern of Konoha shinobi who'd been passing through the Land of Rain disappearing over the past decade, she'd brought it up with Tsunade. 

It had been curious more than anything - missions go wrong all the time and shinobi sometimes just don't return home. It was rare that a Konoha nin would pass near the dreary village but, _every time_ someone went alone, they would go missing and never return to Konoha.

Ame itself had never been considered the culprit - for what purpose would a village of peaceful civilians need to make shinobi passersby vanish? _How_ could they? - and the incidents were consistently written off as solo missions gone wrong.

But now Sakura is here, posing as a traveling civilian, to investigate the village from the inside.

And, so far, a month of snooping around had given her no leads and no clues.

Just contented villagers, an uneasy feeling, and rain that never stopped

**: :**

Her first exposure to Ame's deity had been two weeks in when she'd stumbled upon the stone statues in the park. 

There were two, the smaller of the pair depicting a woman with her hands clasped in front of her heart and a pair of wings spread wide behind her while the second, larger statue, was a faceless man who stood tall with his arms outstretched and his palms facing the dark sky, catching the rain in his hands.

The center of the park seemed to be a place of reverence, as no one spoke as they passed by and the occasional villager came to kneel before the statues and leave gifts.

Though Sakura was curious, she felt inclined to honor the silence and refrained from asking questions. Instead, she scanned her gaze over the simple words carved at the baste of each statue's stone platform.

 _Kami-sama_ and _Tenshi-sama_.

God and an angel. She wasn't sure what it meant , but it seemed like a switch was flipped after she found those statues. She started to notice curious phrases slipped casually into Ame citizens' conversations, spoken so easily that it _must_ be a common occurrence. She became aware of the angel ornaments and decorations that were hung in every shop, every building. Piece by piece, she began to put things together.

The rain was Kami-sama's gift. Tenshi-sama is always watching.

It was… unsettling, but any religion can look odd to an outsider. 

Ame found peace and comfort in their deities and Sakura respected their beliefs, not noticing how often she found herself in front of the angel's statue in the center of the park more and more often.

Their strange sayings slipped casually into her conversations, their blessings fell from her lips, and, after that first month passed, the rain began to feel less suffocating.

**: :**

She'd gotten a job at a small bakery to help integrate herself into Ame and blend in. Villagers often gathered and chatted on the corner and inside the shop and it was an excellent place to eavesdrop on the local gossip, hoping to find more information. It was quaint and cozy and she enjoyed her work, even if she thought all of the sweets tasted rather odd compared to baked goods from Konoha.

Sakura learned about the Ame people themselves, but nothing incriminating about the village or clues towards the people who went missing. Everything seemed so… _normal._

It was a week after her first full month that the dreams started.

She could never fully remember them in the morning, which was odd considering she'd never had that problem back home. But, every night, she'd wake up suddenly, gasping for breath and soaked in a cold sweat as brief images flashes through her mind before they were gone completely.

Faces and blood, but never anything substantial enough for her to later recall.

Sakura would lay awake for hours, staring at the ceiling of her apartment, until her exhaustion took over and she passed out. She was lethargic and tired in the morning and drew concern from her coworkers, but her walks too and from the bakery in the rain seemed to help. 

The rain felt refreshing now and helped wake her when she needed it, clearing her troubled thoughts and helping a calm begin to settle in her mind and body.

It was… lovely.

She had the idea one night, after waking up from a nightmare with another bloody face lingering only a moment in her mind, to take a walk instead of waiting for sleep to claim her again.

It was silent in the streets of Ame, besides the sound of the rain falling and cleansing the village of the day's activities, and Sakura smiled as the first few drops landed on her face, cool and welcoming. She wandered the village through the night, unbothered by the darkness, until she could feel her eyes grow heavy and knew it was time to return home.

Soaked to the bone, with her hair darkened by the water and her raincoat dripping, she was asleep in moments of laying back down on her bed. When morning came, she felt more relaxed and refreshed than she had in weeks.

It became routine after that point, waking up from her disturbing, forgotten dreams, taking a walk in the middle of the night, basking in the rain, then returning to her bed with a calmness in her heart.

She barely noticed when she stopped grabbing a raincoat on her way out.

**: :**

When she woke up one morning to find herself kneeling in front of Tenshi-sama's statue, soaked to the bone and dressed in her pajamas with mud clinging to her bare feet and blood under her nails, she was… understandably disturbed.

Sakura looked around, confused and dazed with the taste of iron on her tongue, and was relieved to see that she was alone. A glance to the dark, grey sky told her that it was about 9 AM -

(She'd become fairly adept at telling the time despite having not seen the sun in almost two months) 

\- and she hurried back to her apartment before anyone spotted her.

That day, after alerting the bakery that she'd be taking a sick day and scrubbing her hands clean, Sakura stayed locked in her room and tried to remember what had happened.

She could recall laying down to sleep, but nothing after that. No dreams, no waking, no walks in the rain.

Just the darkness of sleep and then waking to see the Angel's beautiful, stone face gazing down at her.

Her concern only grew as it happened again the next morning. 

And the one after that. 

And every morning for the rest of the week, despite Sakura's attempts to either stay awake or keep herself locked inside her apartment. She laid traps and various genjutsu in case it was someone coming _into_ her apartment to drag her out into the rain, but each morning was the same - soaked from head to toe, blood under nails, iron on her tongue, and Tenshi-sama watching over her as she kneeled in reverence before her.

**: :**

"That… that can't be _right_."

Sakura drops into the armchair in her living room, staring disbelieving at the small slug sitting on her coffee table.

"It's _true,_ Sakura-sama," The summons replies, her voice soft with concern. "Tsunade-sama hasn't received a report from you in over two weeks."

She shakes her head, rubs at her forehead, and leans forward to rest her arms on her knees, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she drops her gaze to the hardwood floor. She makes her reports weekly - she could _distinctly_ remember sending one of Katsuyu's daughter to Tsunade with her report just days ago! How could she have missed her check-ins for _two weeks_?

Her attention travels to the window and she doesn't realize she's been staring at the rain, solely focused on the drops that hit the glass panes, until the little slug's words finally seem to penetrate her daze.

"-wants you to return to Konoha and-"

Sakura's gaze snaps back to the summons, something hot and heavy coiling in her chest.

" _What?"_

The green slug startles by the intensity of her question and repeats herself, slowly and carefully.

"Tsunade-sama is concerned for you, Sakura-sama. She wants you to return to Konoha as soon as possible."

She's on her feet before she realizes what she's doing, shaking her head as her chest grows tight and something catches at the back of her throat.

"No, I c-can't- _No._ " Sakura licks her lips, a nervous habit, and she moves to the window, bracing her hands on the sill as she stares out at the rain, the sight easing the tension and soothing her nerves. 

"No," She says again, one hand raising to trace her fingers along the paths the raindrops leave as they fall down the glass. "I'm _so close_ to figuring everything out-"

(Why is she _lying?_ )

"-I only need a little longer-"

(How long has she been in Ame? Why can't she _remember?_ )

"-I don't want to leave this mission half-finished."

She speaks with an unnatural calmness, her tone assured and confident even while _something_ at the back of her mind is screaming. Sakura turns back to the slug, crossing her arms behind her back as she stands tall.

"Just another month," It's too hot in her apartment - she wants to go for a walk; the rain is always so cool and refreshing. "I'll have all the information I need by then and can return to Konoha to give a final report to Tsunade-shishou."

The summons doesn't seem convinced and stares up at Sakura for a few moments longer until the kunoichi smiles and sits back down in her armchair.

"I won't miss another report. I'd just gotten distracted by that new lead."

The slug reluctantly accepts Sakura's answer and leaves to report her request for an extension for the mission to the Hokage and, not even ten minutes later, Sakura is in the park, kneeling in front of Tenshi-sama. She murmurs Ame's prayers under her breath and clasps her hands together over her heart, her head bowed and her clothing soaked, but her mind calm and clear.

**: :**

Sakura is on her way back from the bakery when she stumbles upon a collapsed body just on the edge of the park. 

She sees red and quickly rushes over, checking the man over as she eyes the stab wound in his stomach. Other villagers seem to notice and hurry closer and, when Sakura glances away for just a moment, she swears she sees intricate red lines covering every inch of his exposed flesh.

But when she looks back, all she sees is pale skin and a puddle of blood pouring steadily from his belly. 

The local clinic is a decent walk away, but she knows he'll bleed out by then. Kind heart and her code of ethics taking over, Sakura's expression turns determined and she rolls him onto his back, her hands glowing green as she calls on her chakra for the first time in weeks. The concerned villagers surrounding her let out startled gasps and back away as they watch her heal the man, their whispers hushed but cutting through the welcomed sound of the rain.

It's when the wound is closed and the bleeding has stopped and everything falls silent that Sakura finally looks up.

Standing in front of her is the most beautiful woman she's ever seen, even more lovely than Ino-pig, and Sakura feels her breach catch in her throat.

The rain doesn't touch the woman, somehow falling around her instead of onto her, and Sakura’s gaze travels from the paper rose tucked into her bold, blue hair, to her piercing amber eyes, and down to her painted lips which neither smiled nor frowned.

" _Tenshi-sama,"_ Left her own lips before she even realized what she was saying. But there could be no doubt that this was the woman depicted in the statue in the park - Sakura had stared at the angel for more hours than she could count and recognized her easily, an overwhelming feeling of familiarity and fondness quickly taking ahold.

"A healer." Tenshi-sama says, curious as she considers Sakura. Her voice is more lovely than she could have ever imagined, angelic and velvet as the kunoichi hangs off of every word, hungrily anticipating the next.

"Interesting…"

Sakura feels heat rush to her face and she stares wide-eyed up at the woman as she holds out a hand. The kunoichi hesitates for just a moment - but purely because she's questioning whether she's truly worthy to take Tenshi-sama's offered hand - before reaching up. The angel's hand is warm and Sakura is admittedly surprised, having expected to feel stone. She's pulled gently to her feet and barely even notices the man she'd just healed being taken away, missing the terrified look in his eyes as her gaze stays locked to the beautiful woman's face.

The hand leaves her own and Sakura is filled with disappointment. But then it raises to cup the side of her face and she falls still, her breath catching again as Tenshi-sama's warm palm rests against her cheek and her elegant fingers trail oh so lightly along her jaw. 

The crowd behind her has fallen silent again and Sakura can't find it in her to speak, her silence awed as she waits. The woman smiles, just the slightest tilt to her lips and leans down just enough to press those painted lips to her forehead, right over her yin seal. The spot tingles even after she pulls away and she misses the feeling of Tenshi-sama's hand against her skin as she starts to turn away.

"You have my blessing, healer," The gasps of the villagers are shocked and Sakura feels a sense of overwhelming pride fill her, but the woman continues before she can reply. "Return here at dawn tomorrow. I have a task for you."

Sakura doesn't have a chance to reply or even thank her before Tenshi-sama suddenly shifts and falls apart, turning into hundreds of paper butterflies that scatter and fly off. They're unbothered by the rain and something at the back of her mind is _screaming_ that this is wrong - that had to have been a ninjutsu or genjutsu and that _wasn't right_ , Ame wasn't _supposed_ to have shinobi! - but her fingers delicately touch her forehead, her hand trembling.

She'd seen- _met_ one of Ame's deities. She'd been touched, kissed, and _blessed_ by the Angel of Rain.

A smile slowly blossoms on her face and Sakura turns to head home, the villagers parting for her and bowing their heads as she passes.

**: :**

Sakura _heals._

She heals and mends and breathes life back into every person Tenshi-sama brings to her, ignoring the bloody runes carved into flesh that she spots out of the corner of her eyes. 

(They're just tricks of the light, they're not _real_.)

Her additional month in Ame passes in a blur of faces she doesn't recognize, blood spilling over her hands, fleeting touches from a blue-haired angel-

( _Konan_. Her name is _Konan_ and Sakura knows she is so, so blessed to learn Tenshi-sama true name, so blessed to receive her attention, her praise, her touches)

-smiles from the villagers, and an overwhelming feeling of pride for her work.

Her skin _aches_ and she can't scrub all of the red out from under her nails, but the rain washes away her fatigue and Ame welcomes her. They grow to revere her, treating her like a blessing as she heals their injured and cures their sick. She's forgotten why she came to Ame in the first place, but surely _this_ was her purpose. She's here to heal Ame and aide in Kami-sama's plans.

(She can vaguely remember writing her reports back to Konoha, but can't recall _what_ she writes and doesn't notice when the month passes and she stops contacting Leaf. And, far far away, the Senju Tsunade grows worried and frightened as all her attempts to reach, to contact, to _find_ her beloved apprentice end in failure.)

Sakura has _met_ Kami-sama, and what a blessed day that had been, the rain heavy and storming and the sky dark before it parted just enough to cast a single ray of sunlight, the first she'd seen in months over the three of them. He regarded her with approval and she felt happy tears cascade down her cheeks as she knelt in reverence, her heart loud in her ears as Kami-sama judged her, judged her actions and her heart and soul and _blessed_ her.

Tens- _Konan_ had led her away and, though Sakura has forgotten many things, she will never forget the feeling of those painted lips pressing against her own, glowing amber eyes regarding her with a soft fondness and pride that nearly makes Sakura's heart burst in her chest.

When Sakura is not _healing,_ she occasionally finds herself in her apartment, not remembering how she'd gotten there, or simply wandering the streets of Ame. The villagers smile and bow and praise her, showing their thanks in offerings and gifts.

"I _shi-sama,_ " They whisper as she passes. The doctor, the healer, the one who has come to aide Kami-sama and Tenshi-sama and heal and mend Ame.

And she has no intention of leaving.

**: :**

For the first time in months, clarity is granted to Sakura's mind.

She stands in front of the mirror in her bathroom, her apartment dusty and barely lived-in and she _remembers._ Remembers Konoha and the faces of her loved ones and _herself_ and the sun and the sky and her past.

Her knees buckle and she grips the edge of the sink as she suddenly feels sick to her stomach, her eyes finally taking in the sight of months-old scars marking the backs of her hands and her arms. They fade from her awareness when she looks away but she _remembers_ and fear grips her heart, squeezes it tight in an icy grip as her body shudders and shivers.

Everything is silent for a few long moments until slowly, the sound of the rain outside returns to her ears and Sakura straightens. Green eyes, bright and clear, open and she looks to the nearest window, making up her mind at that moment.

When she steps out into the rain, she walks towards the park with an assured, confident stride, bare feet against the concrete and then the muddy grass. Her skin is bare and her body naked and though the rain falls over her freely, she feels no cold. She walks silently and calmly, all noise but the rain fading away and everything but Ame bleeding away.

There are no lights to catch the twisting, curling markings covering her body and no villagers to witness her rise, only Kami-sama's rain and amber eyes that watch her as she approaches.

She stops before her Tenshi-sama, mind clear and back straight and eyes confident, and takes her offered hand. All at once, the same protection that keeps the rain from touching the other woman is granted to Sakura and she smiles, releasing a contented sigh.

A kiss, a caress, her test passed, and Sakura disappears into the trees.

**: :**

A year later, after Konoha arrives with righteous fury and leaves grieving with news of a body found in Kusa and Ame is left just as it was found, a third statue is raised in the center of the park.

The stone woman stands with her arms crossed over each other in front of her chest, her hands open, her chin tilted up, markings carved into her skin, and _Ishi-sama_ etched into the base.

Some nights, when the rain is heavy and the village is dark, the Angel and the Healer pass through the trees, hand in hand, sharing a chaste, soft kiss, lingering touches, and gazes of green and amber.

**Author's Note:**

> this makes no sense but I hope u enjoyed it anyways Mars. Really tried to go for the psychological horror aspect


End file.
